Detroit faces off against Kansas City in division matchup
Kansas City Royals (41-76, fourth in the AL Central) vs. Detroit Tigers (35-78, fifth in the AL Central)
Detroit; Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Mike Montgomery (1-5, 6.02 ERA) Tigers: Spencer Turnbull (3-9, 3.72 ERA)
LINE: Tigers favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Division rivals Detroit and Kansas City will play on Saturday at Comerica Park.
The Tigers are 17-31 against opponents from the AL Central. Detroit's team on-base percentage of .294 is last in the American League. Miguel Cabrera leads the club with an OBP of .346.
The Royals are 22-36 against AL Central Division teams. Kansas City is hitting a collective .246 this season, led by Whit Merrifield with an average of .303. The Tigers won the last meeting 5-2. Edwin Jackson earned his second victory and Jake Rogers went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI for Detroit. Brad Keller registered his 12th loss for Kansas City.
TOP PERFORMERS: Niko Goodrum leads the Tigers with 38 extra base hits and is batting .249. Brandon Dixon is 11-for-36 with a double, three triples, a home run and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Detroit.
Jorge Soler leads the Royals with 55 extra base hits and has 80 RBIs. Hunter Dozier is 9-for-39 with a double, four home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.
LAST 10 GAMES: Tigers: 4-6, .280 batting average, 5.38 ERA, outscored by two runs
Royals: 1-9, .219 batting average, 6.40 ERA, outscored by 30 runs
Tigers Injuries: Jordan Zimmermann: (neck), Tyson Ross: (nerve), Matt Moore: (knee), Michael Fulmer: (elbow), Christin Stewart: (concussion), JaCoby Jones: (forearm), Jeimer Candelario: (thumb), Grayson Greiner: (back).
Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: (hip), Jesse Hahn: (elbow), Danny Duffy: (hamstring), Adalberto Mondesi: (shoulder), Salvador Perez: (elbow), Cam Gallagher: (oblique).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.